"Excellent family holiday – beautiful grounds, fantastic staff and great value
We have just returned from a fantastic stay at Ali Bey Resort Sorgun and would happily give it 5 stars.
We travelled with our two children (aged 5 and 1) and felt the resort was exceptionally family-friendly while still being suitable for couples looking for a relaxing holiday.
The first thing that stood out was the resort itself. The grounds are beautiful, with lots of greenery and mature trees creating a lovely jungle-like feel. There are plenty of shaded walkways, but without sacrificing open areas where you can relax in the sun. The resort feels spacious throughout.
We stayed in a two-bedroom room, which was ideal for our family. The room was comfortable and well laid out, with good beds and daily housekeeping. The only downside was that the floor didn't appear to have been properly cleaned when we arrived and, although housekeeping visited every day, it never quite felt as though the floors were thoroughly cleaned during our stay.
The pool and beach areas were excellent. During our week the resort didn't feel overcrowded at all, with plenty of space around the pools and no need to fight over sunbeds. The beach is huge, with lots of loungers available. The shallow children's pool was perfect for our one-year-old, and the water slides were great fun for the whole family. One slide wasn't operating during our stay, but there were still plenty available and it didn't impact our enjoyment.
Food was generally very good. The main buffet offered plenty of choice and, while it became slightly repetitive towards the end of the week, that's fairly normal for an all-inclusive resort. The desserts in particular were incredibly impressive, both in presentation and variety. Drinks were also a highlight, with branded spirits available and Efes beer rather than lesser-known alternatives.
We also tried two of the à la carte restaurants. The Mediterranean seafood restaurant was particularly good and was our favourite of the two. If I had one suggestion, it would be to simplify the à la carte experience slightly. The food quality was excellent, but the number of courses felt excessive and could be reduced without losing anything.
The standout aspect of our holiday was the staff. Everyone we encountered was friendly, welcoming and hardworking. A special mention goes to Sepa in the main restaurant, who was fantastic with our son and really helped make our holiday memorable. Our five-year-old looked forward to seeing him each day, and the two of them developed a running game where they would set number challenges for each other, which our son absolutely loved. It was a small touch, but it made a big impression on us as parents and showed how genuinely engaged Sepa was with the children. That said, there were many members of staff who provided excellent service throughout the week.
The kids' club was another big positive. We loved that we could simply drop the children off without having to book days in advance. The staff were engaging, attentive and genuinely seemed to enjoy spending time with the children. Our five-year-old thoroughly enjoyed it. The only area that could be improved is the evening entertainment for children, which was limited to a short mini disco of around 15 minutes. Given how strong the daytime children's programme is, it would be great to see more offered in the evenings.
The adult entertainment, on the other hand, was surprisingly good and exceeded our expectations.
The spa itself looked lovely, but we felt some of the staff were a little too focused on selling treatment packages rather than allowing guests to browse and choose treatments at their own pace.
Our only other minor criticism relates to late checkout. We requested one two days before departure but were told we'd need to call on the morning of checkout to find out if it was available. It would have been helpful to know earlier so we could plan our final day. In fairness, we were eventually given a complimentary late checkout until 3pm, which was greatly appreciated.
We also visited Side Old Town during our stay and would highly recommend it. The ancient ruins are incredibly impressive and it's a lovely place to spend a few hours exploring.
The airport transfer is quite long at around 1 hour 40 minutes, but we knew that before booking and it wasn't a surprise.
Overall, we felt the resort offered excellent value for money, especially travelling with a free child and infant place. We would definitely return and would happily recommend Ali Bey Resort Sorgun to families and couples alike.
A wonderful holiday and one of the best family resorts we have visited."
